The 2007 Cincinnati Reds

June: The Draft, Homer Bailey, more losses.

Let the slide continue.

June smells a little bit like May.

Manager Jerry Narron is managing what will be his last month in Cincinnati. To try to turn things around
General Manager Wayne Krivsky wants to try something drastic. Anything approaching drastic, or out of the
ordinary for that matter is out of charachter for Krivsky, who is the definition of vanilla.

Krivsky wants to bring up super-prospect starting pitcher Homer Bailey, who had a good spring training. There is an
energy surrounding the stadium that has not been felt since early April. Homer Bailey is regarded as either the best
or second best pitching prospect in baseball, only at times behind Yankee prospect Phillip Hughes.

Ideally, Bailey could use the year to marinate in Louisville, but Narron and Krivsky are starting to get unpatient. Callers to
Cincinnati sports talk radio shows are wondering if they are begining to worry about their job status.

Homer Bailey, when right, throws a live fastball and a developing curve. Both can be devistating. However he struggles with
his control at times, throws too many pitches and loses his cool easily. Once brought up, he shows signs of brilliance and flashes his
youth.

Bailey gets the call on June 8th. He pitches against Cleveland, and goes 5 innings, gives up 5 hits, 4 walks and a couple of runs.
He was not terrible. He was not great. But they did fill up the stadium. And the win, which were few and far between recently.
Apparently, seeing what they need to see, the braintrust sent him back down.

June also means the mlb amateur draft. The Reds drafted Devin Mesoraco, a high school catcher from Punxsutawney, Pa.
Baseball America's scouting report on: "Mesoraco Scouting Report: As strong as this year's high school class was considered
at the outset of the season, it got even better when high school righthanders Jarrod Parker and Nevin Griffith and Mesoraco
came out of the gate showing better tools and ability than they had last summer and fall. Griffith and Mesoraco appeared in
showcases, but they didn't show impact potential until this spring, and Mesoraco has been the biggest riser of them all. An
arm injury led to Tommy John surgery when he was a sophomore, and he was relegated to DH duties as a junior. His arm strength has slowly
returned, and this spring he has shown a 70 arm with quick, efficient releases. Defensively, Mesoraco compares favorably to 2001 Angels first-rounder
Jeff Mathis, with athleticism serving as the foundation of an agile, quick-twitch player who receives and blocks exceptionally
well. He shows above-average bat speed and 50-55 power at the plate. He's a solid-average runner, too, rounding out a legitimate
five-tool package that probably won't make it out of the first round."

A survey of the premier Reds message board, Redszone.com, showed that most of the members liked the pick, as did the regular
posters on Cincinnati Post beat writer C. Trent Rosecrans' blog.

As far as real, live Major League baseball goes, the month was a lot like previous months.

Outside of an emerging Ken Griffey, Jr., Aaron Harang and Adam Dunn, the Reds are drowning. All three areas of the game
are not being executed properly. The bullpen is still a mess, the offense and defense still inconsistent.

Speaking of Griffey, the highlight of the month is his return to Seattle on the 22nd. Even the cynical Rosecrans said he was
floored by the ovation and outpour of emotion showered on Griffey from the adoring Seattle fans. "What a night, everyone was floored,"
Rosecrans said.